Misery Business
by This-is-not-my-screenname
Summary: Alice has problems. She sees the future, and has made an enemy of everyone at Forks High. When she starts dating Jasper Hale, life gets interesting. Full Summary inside.
1. The Party at the Cullen's

Misery Business

Alice has problems. She sees the future. She doesn't fit in at school, and she has only two friends. When she starts dating the aloof Jasper Hale, her life gets interesting. One things for sure though. Lauren and Jessica will cause all the trouble they can for this couple. AU/OOC/Canon Parings/AlicexJasper/LOTS OF SINGING!!!

Alice P.O.V:

I let the sobs rack my body as I fell onto my bed. Lauren's and Jessica's words echoed in my head. "You'll never be important. You're a nobody. You always have been and you always will be." All the while, during this horrid confrontation in the cafeteria today, Jasper Hale had been sitting with his family, stoically, quiet. Staring off into space, his butterscotch eyes burning like fire. I knew all their names, the Cullen family. Renesmee was sitting on Jacob's lap, her head on his chest. Bella was sitting on the bench, Edward's arm around his waist. Rosalie had her head on Emmett's shoulder, the two of them talking about something, and then Jasper sitting all alone. Three perfectly matched couples, and then the one boy, sitting alone, aloof. It was embarrassing. I had been humming, Wait from Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, when I had fallen face first onto the floor. The sobs began anew as I remembered what had happened that day. Lauren had tripped me, just because I was the freak, the kid who hung out with the albinos, who sung constantly, who wore the odd tee-shirts and home-made jewelry, and who had the largest crush on Jasper Hale. That was why Lauren, the name hung in my mind with contempt, had tripped me. Because she hated me. I had been staring at Jasper, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, when Lauren's henchchild Jessica had noticed and alerted Lauren. From there, it was only a small amount of space I had to walk in order to get to where Lauren's leg stuck out.

Charlotte, my best friend, one of the two albino's, the other, her brother Peter, chose that time to call. Charlotte was the best person you could have for a friend. My hand shook slightly as I grabbed and opened my phone. I pressed it to my ear.

"Hello?" My voice was barely more than a whisper. It was easy to tell that I had recently been sobbing my brains out.

"Alice? Sweetie? What's wrong?" Charlotte was the big sister I never had. She loved me, and I loved her. She cared that I was in pain because Lauren was a jealous child.

"The problem? Lauren Mallory and her vicious henchchild, Jessica Stanley." The sobs had stopped, and now my voice was acidic, venomous. I hated them, both of them. If it had been up to me, they would have gone home bloody and bruised, preferably with a black eye, or a bloody nose.

"Mary Alice Brandon! You aren't thinking about hurting those poor girls, are you? You don't need to get in any more trouble at school!" I scoffed, even though Charlotte was right. I did get in a lot of trouble at school. More trouble than almost anyone. Anyone, that is, except for the worst kids in school. James, and his girlfriend, Victoria. At this point, though, I didn't care.

"Regardless, what they said to me was harsh, cruel, and heartless. You can't expect me to not to want to hurt them. They're not gonna get in trouble for it." I knew she was about to object, so I quickly contradicted her. "Don't try to tell me they're gonna be punished for it! They're the most popular kids at school! They have the entire school wound around their little finger. They'll have plenty of backup from the rest off the student body!" I was shouting now. Thankfully, my parents weren't home. I felt a bit bad for Charlotte. It probably hurt her ears. I felt the tears in my eyes starting to well up again. "I hate them! They're horrible! They don't deserve their popularity! I want them to die!" The tears were falling again. I felt the many words well up on my tongue, but I bit them back. I knew from experience, Charlotte didn't approve of language.

"Alice, you shouldn't hold grudges. They're unbecoming. Listen, I've got homework to do. I'll call you later. You should get to work on your homework, Alice. Have fun." With that parting sentence, she hung up the phone. I heard a soft click. I shoved my head on to the pillow of my bed.

"Gah! I hate this day!" I remembered that Jasper had been watching today at lunch, as had his entire family. They were the smartest people in the school. Crap! I started sobbing. It didn't help that Jasper happened to be in all of my classes. This day could not possible get any worse. I had seen him in the two classes I had after lunch, and he hadn't been paying attention to me. Not in English, not in Gym. Not at all. I felt this horrible feeling in my gut. He was ignoring me. I'd never spoken to him, outside of school that is, but he had spoken to me in class from time to time. Both before and after class, sometimes during it, not as part of an assignment. Once he had even walked with me to Spanish after our Chemistry class. He hadn't talked to me, and neither had Rosalie, though she rarely did. She was to busy bugging Emmett. I grabbed my iPod, and tried to drown my sorrow.

I began scrolling through the music, until I found the song I was looking for. March of the Witch Hunters, from Wicked. I began humming the melody. I loved this song. It helped me deal with the Witch(es) in my life. Lauren and Jessica. Oh well. It's only wishful thinking. If Charlotte had heard my thoughts, she'd probably slap me. Oh well.

As I listened to the music, I thought I heard a knock at the door. I paused the song, and put my iPod on the bed. I walked down the hall, grateful I was rather short. I looked out the window, since I had left the blinds up. I saw a mess of honey-blond hair. There was only one person in the minuscule town of Forks with hair with that. Jasper. Whitlock. Hale. What was he doing here? Still, it'd be rude to leave him on the doorstep. Bravery, Alice. You are not a chicken. You are brave. Who was I kidding?

Oh well. As I had been psyching myself up, I had unconsciously moved towards the door. My hand was on the handle. No turning back. I turned the handle, and found myself looking up into the most beautiful topaz, no not topaz, butterscotch eyes. His eyes changed sometimes, but today, they had a fiery look about them.

"Hello, Alice." His voice was smooth, but it had an edge to it. Almost like he was hiding something. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. And you?" I felt slightly dorkish with my textbook style response.

"Really? I was under the impression that you were moping, and possibly thinking murderous thoughts because a certain Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley insulted you. If I'm wrong, please, enlighten me. If you're not upset, then I'll be on my way and let Charlotte that you are feeling better now." He turned to go. I reached out to stop him.

"You know Charlotte?" It was the first thing that popped into my mind. I was a bit confused at that. They weren't in any of the classes we had, and he never sat with us at lunch.

"Yes, although I know her h- brother, Peter much better." He stuttered, over a word which sounded like he was going to say husband. But that was crazy. I was hearing things, that was it.

"It's funny. They've never talked about knowing you. How did you guys meet?" Now my curiosity had been piqued. I had to know.

"We met at a summer camp last year. I hung out with Peter quite a bit, but I got to know his sister quite well." See? No stutter when talking about the whole Peter and Charlotte are brother and sister. You were just hearing things.

"Wow, Summer Camp. Nice." That was way cool. Now onto more pressing subjects. "So, Jasper. Why are you here?" Mental face-palm. Nice and blunt, Alice. Way to go.

"I'm here because Charlotte wanted me to check on you. Make sure you weren't upset. And Peter dared me to do something, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and do both on this trip over to your house. Now, may I come in?" I had just noticed. When he had showed up, I became extremely calm and relaxed. I was completely at ease letting him into my house. Besides, hadn't I dreamed about this day enough? Of course I had. Not wanting to be a poor hostess, I quickly asked if there was anything I could get him, drink wise.

"Not for me, thanks. I can't have soda." His eyes twinkled as he answered, like he was laughing at a joke only he knew. He had walked over to the family stereo. It was kinda old-school, but it played plenty of music. Six discs in at one time. Lots of music. I was the only one who ever used it, so what ever I felt like listening to would be in at the time.

"So, what are we listening to now?" He spoke under his breath, but it was loud enough that I could hear. I knew what was in there. Discs one, two, and three were the symphonic recording I had of Sondheim's Les Miserables. Disc four was the movie cast of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. Disc five was a Van Morrison CD, and disc six was the Broadway cast of Stephen Schwartz's Wicked.

He turned on the stereo, and pressed random. The first thing to come on was a Sweeney Todd song. Little Priest, one of my favorites. Good song. I sung along with Johnny Depp, naturally forgetting of course, that Jasper was in the room. When the song ended, he applauded. I blushed vermilion.

"That was wonderful Alice. Where did you learn to sing like that?" He was impressed. I could see it in his eyes.

"I kinda taught myself, but I did have voice lessons when I was younger." Yeah, like eight years old. I had always been able to sing. It was something I loved.

"You should come over to our house sometime. We love karaoke, and we've got more songs than you could imagine." A karaoke party at the Cullen's? Sounds like fun.

"Sure. That sounds great." He nodded in approval.

"Good. If that sounds appealing to you, then would you do me the favor accompanying me to our Cullen Karaoke party tonight? I'd love it if you'd come with me." Was he asking me on a date? Even if it was to go sing karaoke with his family? What to say?

"Sure." I blurted out before I really thought about it.

"Great. Do you want to go in what you're wearing right now? Or would you like to change first? We'll leave as soon as you're ready. The party will start as soon as we get there."

"Um..., I guess we can go now. Just let me do one thing." I ran upstairs, and grabbed my brush and a ponytail holder. I brushed out my short, pixie-spiked hair, and then I put it into a tiny ponytail. It looked adorable, I hoped. I practically fell down the stairs, I was running so fast. I was back in the living room in a minute.

He stood there, laughing. I looked away, slightly embarrassed. I knew I looked a bit out of breath. I had just run really fast.

"Come on, you little speed demon. I'll show you an even faster way to travel." He grabbed my hand, and practically pulled me outside.

Sitting on the curb, in front of my house, was a fast looking motorcycle. I laughed a little shakily.

"We're taking this?" I looked at the thing, slightly uneasy.

"Well, it's this or walk, and I'd really love for the rest of the family to hear you sing." While he was talking, he grabbed a black helmet from the side of the seat, and handed it to me, along with a leather jacket. The jacket was slightly too big for me, but I managed to get it on to a point where I could poke my hands out of the sleeves. I held the helmet in my hand, though. A little unsure of whether I would be able to ride this thing. Jasper looked over at me, in a similar jacket, only his fit better, and a sleek silver helmet.

"Here," he said taking my hands. "Put on the helmet, and then come sit behind me." I put the helmet on, surprised at how light it was. I walked over to the motorcycle hesitantly. I still wasn't sure I wanted to ride it. Jasper noticed my hesitance, and took my hands. He picked me up, and put me on the seat of the motorcycle. Then he sat down.

"Hold on. I like to go really fast." I wrapped my hands around his waist, pressing my head into his back. He kicked the bike to life. I could feel the wind whip past us as we sped through the small town. I think at one point I uttered a small shriek at how fast we were going, but Jasper paid no mind.

He slowed down after a few minutes. He unclenched my fingers from around his waist and then got off the bike so he could help me off like a gentleman.

"Wow." I was breathless. "You go that fast all the time? Wow." It had been exhilarating. So much speed.

"Sometimes I go faster. But that's besides the point. We're here now." I took off the helmet, and stared at the most beautiful house I had ever seen. It was creamy on the outside, not white, but not to dark. There was a beautiful porch. I walked over to it, placing my hand on the smooth paint of the porch stair banister.

"Wow. It's so beautiful." I was in love with the house. It was amazing. I loved the color, and the architecture was amazing.

"Alice, if you think this is amazing, wait 'til you see the inside. And Esme designed and built the porch, if you were wondering." Esme designed and built the porch? Wow.

"Esme built the porch?" I echoed, although questioning.

"Yep." He said, popping the "p" like a little kid. "Do you want to come in, Alice?" I nodded, noticing that I had climbed the stairs unconsciously. Jasper opened the door, and led me inside to meet his family.

They were all sitting in comfortable chairs, or on couches. Peter and Charlotte were also there. I guessed they had come over earlier, before Jasper had been sent to get me. I saw who I could only assume was Esme in the kitchen. I knew everyone else. I had been to the hospital one to many times. Edward, I noticed was sitting at a computer, which was hooked up to a big plasma screen T.V. He turned to talk to me.

"Alice, would you like to start the party off?" He inquired, looking at the computer screen. I glanced at the screen. There were thousands of songs listed there. He moved out of the way so I could browse. I went down to the "W" section of the songs. I looked, and lo and behold, they had my Sweeney Todd song. I pointed to the selection, and he nodded. He looked at Jasper, but addressed me.

"You need a Mr. Todd for this song don't you?" I nodded. He looked at Jasper again. "Good luck dude. You're gonna need it." Jasper would sing Sweeney Todd's part? I'm impressed. Not many guys do musicals.

I looked at the screen. The words were flashing across the screen, but they hadn't lit up yet. I slowly watched as Jasper picked up a microphone. I picked up one of the many microphones, and began the dialogue between Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. I spoke with a slight accent, just to keep things realistic.

"It's not much of a chair, but it'll do until you get your fancy new one. It was me poor Albert's chair. Sat in it all day long he did till half his leg give out with the gout."

"Why doesn't the beadle come? Before the week is out. That's what he said." His voice was a baritone, and it flowed well with the song. It was beautiful, and he could sing well. I don't say that for a lot of guys.

" Who says the week is out? It's only Tuesday. Easy now, hush, love. Hush. Don't distress yourself, what's your rush? Keep your thoughts nice and lush, wait. Hush, love, hush, think it through. Once It bubbles, then what's to do? Watch it close. Let it brew. Wait. I've been thinkin' flowers, maybe daisies, to brighten up the room! Don't you think some flowers, pretty daisies, might relieve the gloom? Ah, wait. Love, wait."

"And the Judge? When will I get to him?" His voice was rich, and he acted like he felt Sweeney Todd's pain. It was impressive.

"Can't you think of nothin' else? Always broodin' away on your wrongs what happened heaven knows how many years ago! Slow, love, slow. Time's so fast. Now go quickly, see Now it's past! Soon will come, Soon will last. Wait. Don't you know, Silly man? Half the fun is to plan the plan! All good things come to those who can wait." I paused as I waited for the short interlude to conclude. "Gillyflowers, maybe, 'stead of daisies... I dunno though... what do you think?" There were two more lines. Both spoken. Jasper first.

"Yes." It was simple, but the music was still playing.

"Gillyflowers, I'd say. Nothing like a nice bowl of gillies..." He nodded his assent. I was impressed at how easy it was for him to envelop the character. The song ended, and everyone applauded. We went to sit down after the applause had died down. I went over to sit by Charlotte, and he went to go relieve Edward at the computer. Edward mouthed something to him, and then walked over to Bella.

"Bella, will you sing with me please?" The way those two were together, it was amazing. Like you could see the bond between them. Their bond was only slightly weaker than Jacob's and Renesmee's, and their bond was amazingly strong. Bella nodded, and Edward looked at Jasper. Jasper nodded, and smirked a bit at the song Edward had chosen. I looked at the screen. In big letters were five words. "ALL I ASK OF YOU", by Andrew Lloyd Webber. They both picked up microphones. She gave him a look, one that said, "you owe me for this." Then the music began.

"No more talk of darkness, forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, nothing can harm you, my words will warm and calm you. Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry your tears, I'm here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you." His voice was good, but it was higher, tenor perhaps. Not as pretty as Jasper's. Still good though.

"Say you'll love me every waking moment, turn my head with talk of summertime. Say you need me with you now and always, promise me that all you say is true, that's all I ask of you." Her voice was clear, like a bell, but not soprano, no, definitely a mezzo-soprano for her voice. Mine was high, but I also was a mezzo-soprano.

"Let me be your shelter, let me be your light. You're safe, no one will find you, your fears are far behind you." I noticed that Edward and Bella were deep into their characters. Just like Jasper. Either they were good actors, or they identified well with the characters.

"All I want is freedom, a world with no more night, and you, always beside me, to guard me and to guide me." She sang beautifully.

"Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Let me lead you from your solitude. Say you need me with you, here, beside you. Anywhere you go let me go too, Christine, that's all I ask of you." His voice reflected Steve Barton, the actor to play Raoul in London's West End originally. I was impressed.

"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you." Bella paused slightly at the end of the phrase, as if a bit unsure of what to do next.

"Share each day with me, each night, each morning." Their voices melded perfectly. It was magical to listen to them.

"Say you love me." Her eyes sparkled. His did as well.

"You know I do." They smiled at each other sweetly.

"Love me, that's all I ask of you." Their voices melded again, producing the most beautiful harmony. As the slight interlude towards the end played, Edward swept her off her feet into a very passionate kiss, much like the one Emmy Rossum and Patrick Wilson share in the movie. They ended their kiss at the very last second and finished the song.

"Anywhere you go let me go too. Love me, that's all I ask of you." Edward kissed Bella once more, and then they went to sit down after the massive amount of applause. Rosalie stood up, and walked over to her twin. They had a quick conversation, and then Jasper clicked on a song. Rosalie walked over to the screen, and grabbed one of the microphones. The soft music softly pervaded the room. It was "MY HEART WILL GO ON", from Titanic. I had the Celine Dion version on my iPod. She began to sing the lullaby-like love theme from one of the classic movies.

"Every night in my dreams I see you. I feel you. That is how I know you go on. Far across the distance and spaces between us, you have come to show you go on. Near, far, wherever you are. I believe that the heart does go on. Once more you open the door and you're here in my heart and my heart will go on, and on." Her voice was exquisite, soprano definitely. Her voice rang clear, like a bell, and was well suited to the song. The music accompanying her was also exquisite. I looked at the screen, and noticed that the words were playing, but that the music was only piano. I looked over to the couch where Bella and Edward were sitting, and noticed that Edward was missing. Charlotte noticed I was in rapt attention to the song, and pointed over to a grand piano sitting on a platform. Edward was sitting there, playing with accomplished skill.

"How did he learn to play like that?" I mouthed to Charlotte. She shook her head as if she didn't know. I listened to how graceful the melody sounded, played by piano alone. Then I listened as Rosalie continued with renewed intensity.

"Love can touch us one time, and last for a lifetime, and never go till we're one. Love was when I loved you one true time I hold to. In my life we'll always go on. Near, far, wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on. Once more you open the door, and you're here in my heart, and my heart will go on and on." I listened to the soothing piano playing of Edward, and wondered if he knew the key change. It happened right around here. I listened to the rising melody line coming from the piano, and heard it soar into the higher key.

"You're here, there's nothing I fear, and I know that my heart will go on. We'll stay forever this way. You are safe in my heart, and my heart will go on and on." She threw herself into the song, but left out the croon Celine Dion puts in at the end. Edward finished the song with a light flourish, and Rosalie came over and sat with us.

"Hi Alice. I'm Rosalie. I hope you're enjoying the party. Charlotte told me that you liked singing, and I was wondering if you'd do me a favor." I nodded, unable to speak in the presence of Jasper's twin. They didn't look anything alike, but apparently they were related. "Oh, thank you, Alice. I was wondering if you'd sing a song with me." I'm sure my mouth was agape. "I was thinking we could have Jasper sing too. We could sing, I don't know, A Heart Full of Love from Les Miserables, maybe. What do you say? You'd be Cosette, of course." Before I knew what I was doing, I nodded my head. She beamed at me. "Thank you Alice. I'm sure this'll make Jasper happy too." I was still a bit stunned. She took my hand and led me to the large television screen where the words "A HEART FULL OF LOVE" were flashing. I noticed Esme at the computer screen. I picked up the microphone Rosalie had put in front of me, and noticed that she and Jasper had already picked up theirs. The music started playing. I saw Jasper open his mouth to start the song.

"A heart full of love, a heart full of song I'm doing everything all wrong! Oh God, for shame! I do not even know your name. Dear Mademoiselle, won't you say? Will you tell?" As he finished I let the music carry me.

"A heart full of love, no fear, no regret." My voice wasn't wobbly, but it didn't sound like it normally did. His voice was perfect, just as it had been in Wait.

"My name is Marius Pontmercy."

"And mine's Cosette."

"Cosette, I don't know what to say." His voice was clear, like a bell, and it appeared as though he knew Marius's character well.

"Then make no sound." I held my own against his voice, but he was a good singer.

"I am lost."

"I am found." The harmony in our voices was beautiful.

"A heart full of light."

"A night bright as day."

"And you must never go away. Cosette, Cosette!" I felt like I was in the presence of Michael Ball himself. That was how amazingly good his voice was.

"This is a chain we'll never break." My voice was much stronger now. I wasn't shaking as much as I had been at the start. Still, I was shaking a bit.

"Do I dream?"

"I'm awake!" I practically yelled the line, because I wasn't quite sure I was awake. This song, though, was helping to convince me. We were right around the time when Eponine began singing

"A heart full of love."

"He was never mine to lose." Rosalie's voice was perfect, and she embodied her character just like Jasper, Edward, and Bella had. They would make very good stage actors and actresses. That was one thing I was sure of.

"A heart full of you."

"Why regret what could not be?"

"A single look and then I knew."

"These are words he'll never say. Not to me." She was sad. Just as Eponine should be. It was amazing.

"I knew it too." My voice was perfectly pitched, since I'd kept it in tune after my parents had canceled my voice lessons. It'd been easy, since my parents were never home.

"From today."

"Every day."

"Not to me, not for me. His heart full of love. He will never feel this way."

"And it isn't a dream. Not a dream after all!" The three of our voices blended in a beautiful harmony, reminiscent of Michael Ball, Judy Kuhn, and Lea Salonga, from the alleged 'dream cast', or Michael Ball, Tracy Shayne, and Kaho Shimada from the Complete Symphonic Recording. Either way, still amazing. I felt shudders go down my spine at the way our voices melded. Esme stood up and started applauding our performance. My face burned. I was sure my face was cherry with the embarrassment. I hurried back to the table, where Charlotte had assembled a plate full of my favorite foods; celery sticks, baby carrots, a small bowl of ranch dressing to eat them with, and some normal potato chips. I felt relieved, as I realized that I could eat, and I wouldn't have to sing anymore. I was content to watch the proceedings from then on.

The rest of the night passed without incident. Everybody else sang something. Carlisle sang Bring Him Home from Les Miserables, Jacob sang The Oldest Story In The World by the Plimsouls, Emmett sang a song I didn't recognize. He called it the Llama song. Peter and Charlotte sang Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer, Renesmee sang Spiderwebs by No Doubt, and Esme sang Stars, also from Les Miserables. Her's was my favorite, after Carlisle's, of course. I looked at the clock hanging over the computer alcove, and noticed that I really should be getting home. I must've yawned or something, because Charlotte looked over, looked at the clock, and then cleared her throat.

"Hey everyone. Peter and I need to get going, and I think Alice needs to go too. We'll take her home. See you guys later." I stood up and followed Charlotte and Peter out the door in the kitchen to the garage. I saw Charlotte and Peter getting into their Honda Civic. I followed suit, and as I made to go in the back door, Charlotte motioned for Peter to get in the car, and shut the door. This behavior in Charlotte scared me. She wasn't normally like this.

"You like Jasper." She said. No question. Just this is the complete truth, and you can't dispute it.

"Maybe. Why do you care?" Her face was alight, like she had a devious scheme in mind. I recognized the look because I was the one who taught it to her. She shrugged.

"Oh, no reason." The glint was still in her eyes, so I didn't really believe her. She shrugged her shoulders again. "Anyways, I'm going up to Olympia tomorrow, to do some shopping, and Peter's coming too. You wanna come?" I nodded, since after I got home tonight I wouldn't really be able to do my homework. Might as well put it off for as long as I possibly could. The drive home was short. I got out of the car and thanked Charlotte for the ride. I got in, and walked up the stairs into my room. I picked up a book, and I recognized that Charlotte gave to me. I tried to concentrate on the book - I didn't really pay attention to what it was called, but the author was Christopher Paolini- but my head really wasn't in the story, so I put the book down. I knew what I wanted to read, something with mystery and romance, but not something full of adventure. I walked over to my crammed bookcase, and picked up one of the more battered books. The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux. I'd read this book so many times I'd lost count. As much as I loved this book however, I couldn't read it again. I'd read it very recently, so the story was still fresh in my mind. I put it back down, and picked up another worn book. Dracula, by Bram Stoker. That was perfect. I grabbed my iPod, still sitting on my bed, and pressed the shuffle button on the main menu. This was going to be a long night.


	2. Learning

Jasper P.O.V:

I watched Alice the entire time of the party, surreptitiously sneaking glances at her out of the corner of my eye. I noticed her watching me from time to time. I wondered what was going through her head. Her emotions were neutral, like she had no feeling, though she was smiling and laughing, as though she was having fun. That wasn't something I'd ever experienced before. It bothered me. I'd have to talk to Carlisle about that. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a slight yawn escape her mouth. Charlotte noticed too, because she looked at the clock, and then cleared her throat.

"Hey everyone. Peter and I need to get going, and I think Alice needs to go too. We'll take her home. See you guys later." She got up, with Peter and Alice following her. They went out to the garage, and Charlotte said something, but it was too quiet for me to hear. I heard the motor of the Civic Peter and Charlotte owned start up, and I had a strange longing to follow them to Alice's house. I waited a few minutes, and in that time, Edward started looking at me strangely.

"Jasper, don't." He said, hearing my thoughts. "You'll have more problems than I did. She'll guess. One of her favorite books is Dracula. Don't do it, Jasper. And if you do, consult with Carlisle first." He had a point. I looked at the clock. It was 9:20. She would be home, and up still, reading or something. I walked up to Carlisle's study, wondering what Carlisle would think of this. I knocked on the door.

"Come in, Jasper." Of course Carlisle would have heard my conversation with Edward. I also knew what he'd say. Well, probably. I opened the study door. Carlisle was reading some paper, probably to do with something at the hospital.

"Carlisle, I'm in trouble. You have to help me. It's about... Alice." He nodded.

"I assume you know what I'm going to say." I nodded. "Well, then you need to go do it." I hesitated. "Is there something wrong Jasper?"

"It's just that, well, I don't know what you'll say. I've got a pretty good guess, but Edward is the one who knows what you're thinking, not me." Carlisle nodded, and then pulled out his cell phone.

"Call Peter and Charlotte. They know her much better than almost anyone else. You can use my phone."

I didn't take the phone out of Carlisle's outstretched hand, though. I pulled mine out of my pocket.

"I'll use my phone. I don't want Peter and Charlotte to freak out because they don't recognize your phone number." He nodded and then went back to his paper. I closed the door quietly, and then walked down the hall to my room. I scrolled down my small list of contacts to where Peter's phone number was, then pressed the call button. Peter picked up immediately.

"Jasper. Hey man, how ya doing?" As if he hadn't just seen me, I don't know, 15 minutes ago.

"I'm fine. You?" I heard him laugh on the other line.

"Yeah man, I'm cool. So, what do ya need?" This was exactly what I was dreading.

"What can you tell me about Alice Brandon?" I heard a sharp intake of breath from Peter.

"I'm not the best person to 'talk to about that. You should talk to Charlotte. I'll go get her." I heard him lean away from the phone, and call Charlotte. Then I heard the quick exchange of hands with the phone.

"Hey Jasper. It's Charlotte. What do you want to know?"

"Tell me everything you know about her." I almost demanded.

"You might want to get a notepad. I know a lot about her." I nodded to myself.

"I've got a pretty good memory." I heard her breath in.

"She lives alone most of the time. Her parents work long hours in Port Angeles. She only sees them on Sundays. She learned to be pretty tough because of that, so being lonely doesn't bother her. You might have noticed tonight that she was kinda quirky. That's normal for her. Just don't tease her about it. She's vengeful, and very good at blackmail." I nodded.

"What do you mean quirky?" I asked.

"I mean she gets these feelings, like something's gonna happen. I'm not sure if she knows what's gonna happen, but she gets this blank look in her eyes. It's kinda weird."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. A lot else. She loves reading, watching movies, going to theater shows, beading, adorable clothes, fast cars, nature, and mythical creatures, like us. She also listens to music, and she's pretty good at playing it too." I made a mental note of that.

"Anything she doesn't like?"

"I wasn't done. She really doesn't like posers, people who tease her, and people with horrid fashion sense. Her favorite holiday is Halloween. She's great at the piano, flute, guitar, drums and violin. Her favorite foods are strawberry yogurt and fig newtons. She loves animals, and has five pets. A cat, named Stanley, two fish, one named Cleo, and the other named Figaro, a guinea pig named Gaston, and a turtle named Sasha. She writes stories. She's got several notebooks full of stories. She's got major crushes on Brendan Frasier, and Tom Felton. She has over 150 neopets avitars, and she speaks several languages, all of which she can also read and write."

"What languages does she speak?"

"It's a long list. The languages are: English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Ancient Egyptian, Korean, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese, Cambodian, American Sign Language, Portuguese, Italian, Inuit, Hindi, All forms of American Indian, Albania, Australian, Czechoslovakian, Gaelic, Latin, Greek, Hawaiian, Swahili, Persian, Babylonian, Klingon, Dwarfish from Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, The many different languages created by Christopher Paolini, Russian, Hutt, and Computer." I let out a small snicker.

"Hutt? As in Jabba the? From Starwars? Seriously?" I laughed again.

"I really wouldn't laugh. She's very temperamental about that."

"Okay. Is that everything?"

"No. Just two more things. Her favorite band is No Doubt, and her past boyfriend, Riley, broke up with her, and she never really got over it. She is crushing on you though. Be nice to her. I wouldn't want to have to hurt you Jasper. Or have Peter do something like that." I gulped. Her voice implied that she wouldn't let anyone hurt Alice that way again. And I didn't intend to.

"What happened with Riley? Afterwards, I mean." I asked. I didn't want to hurt her in any way ever again. I didn't want to hurt her period. I was curious as to how she negated my gift. It confused me. Maybe this was how Edward felt when he tried to read Bella's mind.

"She sat in her room, listening to some No Doubt song, and she played Mahjongg on her computer all the time. She recorded that song she listened to and sent it to him. She never got a response. I think she recorded the song again, but the second time it sounded better."

"Oh." was all I could say. I felt sorry for the poor girl. "Thanks Charlotte. I'll see you guys at school."

"Oh, Jasper. Alice, Peter and I are all going shopping in Olympia tomorrow. You should come. Bring everyone." It was a good plan, and I'd get to see that confusing little pixie again.

"Can do Charlotte. Bye." I responded.

"Bye Jasper." I heard them both chorus. I hung up the phone. Edward walked in then.

"Jasper. Remember what happened with Bella and the Volturi? We can't have another case like that. Don't go over there Jasper. It won't end well." I had kinda unfocused on Edward, and then Bella came into the room.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, are you being a hypocrite? Are you telling Jasper not to do what you did? Really?" I looked pointedly at Edward.

"I agree with Bella." I said.

"Whatever. We can't have another Bella on our hands. It'll be horrible. I'm not going to put Bella or Renesmee in danger like that again. It's too hard. You might not understand the pain it caused me, well, you do, but it's not something I could live through ever again." I nodded.

"I understand Edward, but you can't stop me, so don't even try. It isn't a good idea." I tried to mentally convey my message as well. A look of understanding crossed his face.

"Oh. That changes things. You can't feel her emotions?" I nodded. "Wow. Do you think she's got a physical shield? Should we contact Eleazar?" I shook my head.

"I don't think she's got a shield. I think it was a fluke. Which is why I want to see if I can influence her emotions. I've never encountered this before." This time Edward nodded.

"Okay. You should go. I don't blame you. Just, try not to, you know, let her in on the secret."

"I'll do my best." I then ran out the door, so I could hunt before I went to watch the pixie.


	3. The History and The First Night

ALICE P.O.V:

I looked at my adorable Hello Kitty clock, and saw that it was almost 11:00. I looked down at my iPod. I had gone almost all the way through a rotation of the 1098 songs I had on it, and then I heard the familiar guitar playing a familiar song. It was a No Doubt song. This was the song I'd listened to for almost six months after Riley broke up with me. I even recorded it and sent it to him. I never heard back, not at all. Whatever. I paused this amazingly comforting song and got off my bed to go over to my desk. My adorable mini-fridge was sitting there. I rummaged around inside it for a few seconds, before my hands closed over the small container of strawberry yogurt.

As I walked back to my bed, yogurt in hand, I thought about how Riley and I had met. It'd been a long time ago.

-Flashback-

I walked into the Advanced Guitar class, at the start of the new semester. and sat down in one of the folding chairs. I noticed a few of my friends there. Ashley was sitting in the row in front of me, and Janet was three seats away from her. I continued to look around and I also saw Crystal talking to Regina. We were all really good friends, and they didn't think I was a freak as much as everyone else did. We were all kinda little freaks, but Crystal and I were the shortest two. We all played guitar. I heard the chair next to mine scoot back a little, and saw Riley Duncan, one of the cutest boys at Cameron Middle, was staring back at me.

"Hello. I'm Riley Duncan. And you are?" His voice was wonderful, and slightly confused, because he obviously didn't know me, and if he did, he would know why the seat next to me was empty.

"Alice. Mary Alice Brandon." The little freak show, I added in my head. He nodded thoughtfully.

"You're one of the Freaky Five, right?" I nodded. He laughed. "Why do people call you guys that?"

"It's because we're all a bit weird." Yeah. I mean, seeing the future is not exactly normal. Not that anyone actually knew about my, quirk, except for the rest of the Freaky Five. It was fun, everyone just thought it was daydreaming, and then I could tell my friends what I saw. They understood. That was all the discussion we had time for, because the teacher, Mr. Hitov, and we all had to start paying attention. We were learning bar chords. That was something I knew, and as I played several perfect ones, I noticed that Riley was watching me.

-End Flashback-

I could remember our first date, the first present he ever gave me, the first time we hung out after school, the first time we kissed. I could also remember what he had said to me, that night. The night I told him I was moving to Forks.

-Flashback-

"Riley. It's not going to be that far away. I can always have my parents drive me up for a day visit or something. It's going to be fine." But Riley wouldn't look at me.

"Alice. It won't work out. I'm sorry. It's over. I love you, but..." he chocked up. "But it just wasn't meant to be. I'm sorry. Goodbye." Then he walked away. I was left sitting on a bench in one of Seattle's many public parks. I got up after a long while and walked home, tears falling out of my eyes every step of the way.

-End Flashback-

I walked back, finally able to move again, and plopped down on the bed. I would never be able to forget Riley, but it was getting easier to get over him. I walked back over to my bed, and put my headphones on, and pressed the play button. I then went back to the menu, and pressed the repeat button until it said one. As I was doing this, Gwen Stefani's voice floated through my headphone speakers. I sang along, unsure of how long my voice would be able to hold out.

"You and me, we used to be together. Everyday together, always. I really feel that I'm losing my best friend. I can't believe this could be the end. It looks as though you're letting go, and if it's real well I don't want..." my voice lasted almost to the end of the first verse, but then I succumbed to the tears that happened whenever I thought about Riley. That song was the only thing that helped me deal with it. Once we'd moved to Forks, and I met Peter and Charlotte, I was more able to get over it, and talk about it. Charlotte had been my best friend. My angel. Could something, or someone else do that too? I didn't know. What I did know was that Charlotte was up to something, and she would be continuing her plan until it succeeded. I felt my eyes getting heavy, though, so I paused the song, and changed into my Tinkerbell nightgown. I turned off my lights, and then fell asleep to my song. My last conscious thought was Riley, I just have one thing to say: Goodbye to you.

Jasper P.O.V:

I ran silently out to where I knew Alice's house was. I had left my house as soon as it was 10:00. I had run slowly, so it was nearly 11:00 when I had reached her house. I had timed my arrival well. Almost as soon as I had reached her house, her lights had gone out. I had heard her singing before though.

"You and me, we used to be together. Everyday together, always. I really feel that I'm losing my best friend. I can't believe this could be the end. It looks as though you're letting go, and if it's real well I don't want..." Her voice faded at the end, like she was giving up the song. I didn't understand why. This had to be the song she had used to survive those months. I wish Charlotte had known the name. That would've made it easier to figure out what was wrong with her. Obviously her breakup was hard, or she wouldn't have listened to such a depressing song. But I watched her lights go out, and I knew it would be only a matter of time before I could climb up to her window. After a few minutes, I knew it would be safe for me to climb through her open window. It was easy to scale the drain pipe, and it was just as easy to reach her window. I climbed lightly through the window, and landed without a noise. It was too easy, and as I fell through the opening, I felt a feeling of calmness and serenity. I was right. It was a fluke. I looked around, to get my bearings.

Over by the two closets I saw a guitar on a stand, a violin case, and a music stand. On the stand was sheet music, with the words I had heard her sing earlier. So that was the name of the song.

Over on her desk, I noticed plenty of high-priced electronic equipment, a super printer, a laptop, a bunch of recording equipment, a mini-fridge, spindles of discs, a fish tank, and a turtle tank, and a CD in a jewel case, titled "My Recordings". She was obviously very tech savvy and she also loved her pets. I continued my turning.

I glanced at the foot of her bed, and saw a guinea pig's cage, and bowls for cat food and water, as well as boxes and boxes of beads, a case of gel pens, and a small portable television.

I almost didn't spot Alice amid the piles of blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals, but I spotted the top of her headphones, and that helped my find her. I walked slowly over to her. I could hear her heart, the pulse of her blood as it traveled through her veins and arteries. It was strange. Mostly I was the one with a problem in this family, and yet here, I felt peace. Peace I hadn't felt since I had met Carlisle. It was strange that I should find this feeling here, in the room of a human girl. I needed to talk to Edward. Or Bella. Bella was more sympathetic, and she understood me better than any of the rest of my, to put it gently, dysfunctional family.

I watched as Alice tossed and turned in her sleep. I was starting to feel restless, because of her. I heard her muttering. Something about a party and a shopping trip. Then she did something that surprised me.

"Jasper. Jasper was at the party. Jasper is shopping." Suddenly she was screaming. "Jasper! They're here! Hurry! I'm in trouble! They're attacking me!" She was thrashing, and I was worried that her parents would come home and check on her. That wouldn't be good. I quickly sent waves of calm and peace, so that, should her parents come home, they would find their daughter sleeping very calmly, like a good child. It worried me. Her parents weren't here yet and it was almost midnight. I noticed a chair in the corner of her room, where I decided I would spend the rest of the night, but not before I gave Alice one small kiss of the forehead.

"Sweet dreams, my angel. Goodnight." I walked slowly over to the chair, in order to wait out my night.


	4. The Car Trip Part 1

Alice P.O.V:

I woke up to birds singing outside near the tree. It wasn't even six, but I wouldn't have been able to go back to sleep. I grabbed my iPod off it's charger, pulled on my jogging clothes and shoes, and then silently slipped out the back door of our house. The back gate slid open silently, like always, and then I was off. The world was green. I felt safer here than I had back in Mississippi. It was too open there. I liked the trees and stuff. I liked being able to hear birds. But most of all, I liked to be able to jog in the woods and not have to worry about anything bad happening. I couldn't do that in Mississippi, mainly because we didn't really have a woods, and everything there was unsafe. It was nice to be able to do that here. I didn't have to worry about anything. I looked at my small watch, the one I never took off my wrist with the special wristband, and noticed that it was almost seven thirty. I wasn't that far from my home. I knew the forest around my house relatively well, and it took me only a few moments to get back. I took a shower very quickly. I pulled on one of my favorite t-shirts. It had pictures of the original little people, and the words, "Chillin' with my people". I went well with my, well, my smaller than average stature. Charlotte found it hilarious. Then I rooted through my drawer with bottoms, and found exactly what I had been looking for. A denim skort which looked adorable. I grabbed the bracelet Regina got me from the Philipines. I ran down the stairs again, and saw Charlotte's adorable Civic waiting for me, with her standing next to it.

"Do you want Shotgun? I'll kick Peter out to the backseat." I nodded. "I just though you should know, the Hale's are riding with us. Edward is taking Bella, Nessie, Jake, and Emmett." I just nodded again, grateful that Charlotte knew I didn't like to talk this early in the morning. Honestly, I didn't know what to make of the fact that Jasper was coming on this trip. Maybe it was that Charlotte invited him. Maybe it was that the Cullen kids were going up to Olympia, and decided it would be easier to go with Charlotte. Whatever it was, I was gonna spend, like, three hours in a car with Jasper and Rosalie.

"Okay. Did you bring the good car music?" Charlotte smiled, and held up a 40 gig Creative Zen Media Player.

"Only the best for us. I've got, like, everything you've got, plus some other stuff. It'll be a fun three and a half hours. You ready?" I nodded, and watched as Charlotte kicked Peter out to the backseat. Then we drove over to the Cullen Mansion.

Just like last night, I was astounded by the beauty of the house. It was beautiful as it had been last night, maybe even moreso. I wasn't sure, because standing there on the front porch, along with the rest of his adopted siblings, Jasper was there, and as soon as my eyes found him, everything else disappeared. Rosalie and Jasper walked down to Charlotte's car, and the rest of the family drifted off to the garage.

Jasper walked over towards me. I smiled slightly, ecstatic at the thought of Jasper in this car with me, even if we weren't the only ones in the car. It was still an exciting though. The two of them entered the backseat of the car, and I felt very calm all of a sudden.

We backed out of the Cullen's yard, and then we were off. For better or for worse, this day would end in excitement.

Jasper P.O.V:

We drove, and for a while, it was silent in Charlotte's Civic. Then Charlotte looked over at Alice, and passed her the 40 gig Creative Zen. I smiled. Let the fun begin.

"Alice. You've never gone shopping with the Cullen Family before, have you." Charlotte had a glint in her eye. Alice nodded her head warily.

"Well, they have this thing they do. See, as long as there is music, you've got to sing along with it, no matter what song. You don't have to say curse words if you don't want to, but the rest of the song, you've got to sing." She nodded, more relaxed now.

"Plug it in Alice, and then press shuffle. We'll have fun."Alice followed instructions to the letter. This would be interesting. A familiar scratchy violin poured through the speakers. Then Hailey Williams voice, quiet as it was through the violin, said "Hit that, hit that snare." Then the guitar for Misery Business floated through the car. She probably knew this one. Sure enough, she started singing with Hailey.

"I'm in the business of misery, Let's take it from the top. She's got a body like an hourglass, it's ticking like a clock. It's a matter of time before we all run out, When I thought he was mine she caught him by the mouth. I waited eight long months, She finally set him free. I told him I couldn't lie he was the only one for me. Two weeks and we've caught on fire, She's got it out for me, But I wear the biggest smile." She was amazingly happy singing this. She had this song down. Hmmm.

"Whoa, I never meant to brag But I got him where I want him now. Whoa, it was never my intention to brag To steal it all away from you now. But God does it feel so good, Cause I got him where I want him now. And if you could then you know you would. It's gonna just feel so... It just feels so good." She was smiling, I could see it in the rear-view mirror. She was enjoying the music. Perhaps it wasn't No Doubt that had saved her. Maybe it was Paramore.

"Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change. Once a whore you're nothing more, I'm sorry, that'll never change. And about forgiveness, we're both supposed to have exchanged. I'm sorry honey, but I passed it up, now look this way. Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you. Looking as innocent as possible to get to who, They want and what they like it's easy if you do it right. Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse!" I was amazed at how much she sounded like Hailey, but it must be her years of voice training that allowed Alice to imitate her.

"Whoa, I never meant to brag But I got him where I want him now. Whoa, it was never my intention to brag To steal it all away from you now. But God does it feel so good, Cause I got him where I want him right now. And if you could then you know you would. It's gonna just feel so... It just feels so good." I wondered where she would have heard this. It wasn't a very popular song, and Paramore wasn't a very popular band.

"I watched his wildest dreams come true And not one of them involving you Just watch my wildest dreams come true Not one of them involving... Whoa, I never meant to brag I got him where I want him now. Whoa, I never meant to brag But I got him where I want him now. Whoa, it was never my intention to brag To steal it all away from you now. But God does it feel so good, Cause I got him where I want him now. And if you could then you know you would. It's gonna just feel so... It just feels so good." I loved watching her sing, and this song was a very good one for her to sing. She had a great voice, and perfect pitch recognition. It was impressive. The song ended rather abruptly. She smirked a bit at the end, but it didn't reach her eyes, which still held the glint of pain from a past life. But the game must go on. And the next song is....

Alice P.O.V:

I can't believe it was Misery Business first. It was an easy song to sing. It gave me hope from when Riley broke up with me. Sure, No Doubt had been my original solace, but I had seen what happens when people have hard breakups, and then Paramore had become my life. Hailey was an inspiration. So it was no problem to sing a Paramore song. The problem I had was what would come on next.

"And the next song is... Corner of the Sky from Pippin." Charlotte's clear voice intoned. Great song, great musical. What's not to like?

The upbeat piano music started, and I smiled. This song was one I had loved since the day I'd heard it, way back in third grade. I felt a tear in my eye. I hadn't hear this song in so long. I could feel tears forming in my eyes. I was afraid my voice would crack, so I sang barely above a whisper.

"Everything has it's season, everything has it's time. Show me a reason and I'll soon show you a rhyme. Cats fit on the window sill, children fit in the snow. Why do I feel I don't fit in anywhere I go? Rivers belong where they can ramble, eagles belong where they can fly. I've got to be where my spirit can run free. Gotta find my corner of the sky." There were five of us singing, and it sounded amazing. Better than it had in third grade. I was ecstatic with this, and then the song was enriched by the deep voices of the boys. I was glad.

"Every man has his daydreams, every man has his goal. People like the way dreams have of sticking to the soul. Thunderclouds have their lightning, nightingales have their song. Don't you see I want my life to be something more than long? Rivers belong where they can ramble, eagles belong where they can fly. I've got to be where my spirit can run free. Gotta find my corner of the sky." I listened carefully for the key change I knew would happen soon. As soon as I heard it, I felt the tears return to my eyes.

"So many men seem destined to settle for something small, but I won't rest until I know I'll have it all. So don't ask where I'm going, just listen when I'm gone, and far away you'll hear me singing softly to the dawn. Rivers belong where they can ramble, eagles belong where they can fly. I've got to be where my spirit can run free. Gotta find my corner of the sky, of the sky, of the sky. Corner of the sky!" I felt a single tear run down my cheek. I loved this song. I had pasted the lyrics onto a piece of legal paper, after printing out a copy of the scan I'd made of my handwritten copy. It was sitting in a frame on the wall over my head. I also felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around, grateful I wasn't driving, and saw Jasper, a slight smile on his face. His hand was ice cold. I hadn't noticed that the night before. The smile upon his face was tentative, searching, like he was asking me permission to leave it there. Ha. He could do that. It would just tick off Jess and Lauren. It didn't matter. Jasper was the one who did this, not me. I couldn't get in trouble with them. Let the games begin.


End file.
